The Palestine Chronology

An IDF soldier, who deserted 2 mos. ago to protest disengagement and moved to the right-wing West Bank settlement of Tapuach, boards a Haifa–Shafa‘ Amr bus, still dressed in fatigues and carrying his military issue weapon; when the bus enters the Israeli Palestinian town of Shafa ‘Amr, the driver asks him whether he’s on the right bus; the soldier then shoots the Israeli Palestinian driver dead and opens fire on the passengers, killing another 3 Israeli Palestinians, wounding 20 before a mob beats him to death. Sharon denounces the “reprehensible act by a bloodthirsty Jewish terrorist”; YESHA settlers council also condemns the attack; the U.S. terms it a “terrible act of terrorism.” In Gaza City, the PA opens (symbolically on Arafat’s birthday) a 2-wk. “victory festival” to celebrate the pending disengagement and a wk.-long UNDP-funded publicity campaign called “Gaza—Reclaiming our Gem”; 10,000s of Palestinians, predominantly Fatah supporters, rally outside Gaza’s PC headquarters to hear speeches by Abbas, Qurai‘, Dahlan, who emphasize national unity, call on Palestinians not to take any actions that would jeopardize the national image, emphasize that the world is watching how Palestinians react to disengagement and assume responsibility for Gaza. The IDF raids Ramallah, arrests Islamic Jihad spokesman Shaykh Khadir ‘Adnan; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c. (arresting a PA security officer), Bayt Fajjar, Hebron (occupying 2 houses as observation posts), al-Til, Yatta; patrols in Bethlehem; arrests a PA security officer at a checkpoint outside Jerusalem. A Jewish settler fr. Neve Dekalim throws a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian home in al-Mawasi, causing damage but no injuries. Israel announces plans to build 72 new housing units in Beitar Ilit settlement nr. Jerusalem. A Palestinian dies of injures received on 8/2 in Bayt Hanun. (IMEMC, HA, REU, YA 8/4; AFP, BBC, JAZ, MA, NYT, WP, WT, YA 8/5; VOP 8/5 in WNC 8/5; NYT, WP, WT 8/6; OCHA, PR 8/10; PCHR 8/11)

The BBC reports that papers in the British National Archives show that in 1958, Britain secretly sold Israel 20 tons of heavy water vital for production of plutonium and the manufacture of nuclear weapons at its Dimona reactor. No “peaceful use only” condition was placed on the sale. (BBC 8/4) The World Bank releases a report showing Israel to be 2d only to Italy as the most corrupt, least efficient of developed countries. The report states that “Israel is considered one of the riskiest places in the Western world, with an unstable, inefficient regime, low accountability, a relative high rate of state corruption, and poor law enforcement.” (HA 8/4)

1,000s of Israeli Palestinians gather at al-Aqsa Mosque in response to threat by Revava to raid the compound, perform prayers there. Some 2,000 Israeli police and border guards close off the streets to the compound to bar Jews fr. entering and to regulate Palestinian access more closely. Revava mbrs. are successfully prevented fr. reaching the compound; a few incidents are reported of Palestinians throwing stones and the Israeli police firing tear gas and stun grenades, leaving 7 Palestinians injured. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Ramallah; issues a military order confiscating Palestinian land s. of Hebron for construction of a settler bypass road. 6 Jewish settlers destroy an electricity tower serving Palestinians in al-Mawasi, throw stones at nearby Palestinian homes. In Jenin, the PA police exchange gunfire with local AMB leader Abu Araj, his men for a 2d day over Abu Araj’s refusal to disarm before entering the local courthouse; no injuries are reported; senior-level PA-AMB mtgs. are held to defuse tensions. In Tulkarm, armed Palestinians fire on the PA police headquarters after police announce plans to crack down on a car theft and arms dealing gang. (JAZ 5/9; NYT 5/10; PCHR 5/12)

In an independence day interview, Sharon officially delays disengagement by 3 wks. (to around 8/15), hinting that if Hamas were to win Palestinian legislative elections in 7/05 and take control of the PA, disengagement could be canceled. (XIN 5/9 in WNC 5/10; BBC, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/10; PR 5/11; MEI 5/13)

An IDF patrol enters Sabastia nr. Nablus, chases a taxi, causing it to crash; denies an ambulance permission to take the injured driver to the hospital, arresting him instead. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Nablus and Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Gush Katif bar Palestinians fr. traveling the coastal road btwn. Rafah and Khan Yunis, beat 4 Palestinian youths (ages 9–15) on their way to school in al-Mawasi. Some 20,000 Hamas supporters attend a rally in Nablus marking the anniversary of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin’s assassination, launching Hamas’s campaign for upcoming legislative council elections. (VOI, VOP 3/27 in WNC 3/28; PR 3/30; JP 3/30 in WNC 3/31; PCHR 3/31)

The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. Ramallah; shoots, wounds a Palestinian who strays too close to Rafiah Yam settlement in s. Gaza; conducts arrest raids, house searches in the Wadi al-Husayn area of s. Hebron, rounding up all men and holding them for 5 hrs. of interrogation; places temporary curfews on Bardala and Kardala e. of Jenin, orders all Palestinian males ages 15– 60 to surrender for ID checks; also conducts arrest raids in al-Mawasi nr. Khan Yunis. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat a Palestinian in Hebron; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (HA 3/18; JP 3/28; OCHA, PR 3/23; PCHR 3/24)

Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo pledge to extend the unofficial truce until the end of 2005, provided that the lull in violence continues and that Israel follows through on its Sharm al-Shaykh pledges to turn over security control of West Bank cities and release a significant number of Palestinian prisoners.Abbas and the factions agree to form a comm. to study rebuilding the PLO on new foundations that would allow Hamas, Islamic Jihad to join. (Daily Star, MM, REU 3/17; BBC, HA, MM, NYT, VOP, WP, WT 3/18; JAZ 3/19; AP, JAZ 3/21; PR 3/23; MEI 4/1)